Author: Gareth

This was pointed out by Chuck Wendig on Twitter — Comedian (and Writer / Director / Editor / Actor / Etc.) Louis C.K. has done an interview with The Onion’s AV Club which is well worth reading for any Insurgent Creative.

For those few who aren’t aware, Louis CK is a comedian, who has been a staff writer for Letterman, Conan O’Brian, and Chris Rock. He’s done stand-up, television, etc — and stars in a critically-acclaimed comedy on FX, Louie, which he also writes, directs and edits. In 2011, he took the full leap into creative insurgency, producing his own comedy special, Louis C.K. Live At The Beacon Theater, and selling it directly via his own website. He made over a million dollars — direct, with no distributor or broadcaster –and has now decided to sell tickets to his new comedy tour the same way. No Ticketmaster or other processing middle man, and he’s bringing in millions and expanding the tour as a result.

The interview discusses his approach to the constant pressure of having so much on his plate, as well as his business model, both of which should be of interest to any Creative looking to carve out a living independently.

Regarding his method of business, he says:

“Yeah, well, I like to try stuff. I like to try to see if something can work. It’s really satisfying to figure out, “What if we try it this way? What if we made it way more pleasurable and cheaper to come see me? Or to watch my show online? And if we do this right, how much benefit were we getting from the giant companies?”

On the subject of pressure:

” I like pressure. Pressure doesn’t make me crack. It’s enabling. I eat pressure, and there might be times when I get a bad feeling in my gut that this might be too much, but you feel pressure when you’re not doing something, you know? When you’re getting ready for something, you feel pressure—when you’re anticipating. But when you’re constantly in activity, there’s no time for pressure to just sit there and make you crack.”

The more interviews like this that I read, I continually see those common traits among those that I identify as Insurgent Creatives — a relentless activity, a drive to try things for the sake of trying them, etc. These are, really, the same traits that have always driven people to creative pursuits — the main difference is that now, the same sort of mind can also apply itself to questions of production, distribution and marketing; areas which had traditionally been handled by the media companies. In a way, this independent entrepreneurial method becomes another form of artistic performance — applying divergent thinking to a traditional method to see what results.

The vultures are now circling….

I noticed today that I’m being followed on Twitter by a self-described “Crowdfunding Consulting Firm” (who make sure to put “Kick” in their name, naturally). I check out their “About the Team” page, and sure enough — old business-marketing types, with no listed experience in any form of crowdfunding. “Project manager”, “Blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit”, “results-driven with over 20 years of leadership experience” — not a single word about any direct experience with Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, or any other crowdfunding platform.

The infuriating thing about all of this? They’ll rope somebody in, I’m sure. These types always do.

ProTip: If you’re ever considering crowdfunding, avoid the vultures. There’s tons of free advice out there from people who have run successful campaigns, and if, for some reason, that advice doesn’t answer your questions, you can always just approach somebody politely and ASK.

Most of us will say yes.

I wouldn’t have had as much success with our Kickstarter if it weren’t for the example of Daniel Solis , and the direct advice given to me by Gary M. Sarli . I’m not the sort of guy who pulls up the ladder behind me — and I think you’ll find that most of us are the same way. It’s a community — if you get help, you “pay it forward.”

As a start, check out this entry I wrote back in December. I provided an overview of Kickstarter, links to advice that I received, and offered some advice of my own. And you don’t have to pay me a consulting fee to get it.

Additionally, and specifically of note to gamers: a bunch of us are doing multiple crowdfunding seminars at GenCon this year, which will be a golden opportunity to get advice from a bunch of sources at once. For example:

Kickstarting Your Game Q&A: 6:00pm, Thursday, August 16th in ICC 210
Join our Industry Insider Guests who will share tips and tools for using Kickstarter to get your game project funded. Dennis Detwiller, Matt Forbeck, T.S. Luikart, Elizabeth Shoemaker Sampat, Gareth-Michael Skarka.

Doing Kickstarter Right: 11:00am, Saturday, August 18th in ICC 210
Talk with successful Kickstarter publishers on how they did their Kickstarter. Topics discussed are: lessons learned, mistakes made, and plans for the future. Ryan Macklin, Gareth-Michael Skarka, Richard Thomas.

Remember: Insurgent Creatives don’t let Insurgent Creatives get taken in by the vultures. Most of these guys are just old-model cogs from the big machines, panicking about the changing environment, and desperate to grasp at any way they can to maintain their relevance. You don’t need them.

Be Small, Think Big, Move Fast. Storm the gates.